GOV. SARAH PALIN TELLS FOX NEWS CHANNEL SHE ‘APOLOGIZES FOR BEING A BIT ANNOYED’ IN HER MEDIA INTERVIEWS
Palin On Couric: Katie Couric Was ‘Missing’ A Lot Of Things In The Interviews
Palin On Debate: ‘I Had A Ball’ And ‘It Was Some Good Chemistry
Governor Sarah Palin sat down with FOX News Channel’s Carl Cameron exclusively today where she discussed her performance at last night’s debate vs. her previous media interviews and her thoughts on the McCain campaign leaving Michigan.
*Mandatory Credit: FOX News Channel*
Full Transcript Below
On her performance last night vs. the Katie Couric interview:
“I'll tell you. Honestly. The Sarah Palin in those interviews is a little bit annoyed. Because it's like, no matter what you say, you're going to get clobbered. If you cease to answer a question, you're going to get clobbered on the answer. If you choose to try to pivot and go on to another subject that you believe that Americans want to hear about, you get clobbered for that, too.”
“But, in the Katie Couric interviews, I did feel that there were a lot of things that she was missing, in terms of an opportunity to ask what a V.P. candidate stands for. What the values are represented in our ticket.”
“So, I guess I have to apologize for being a bit annoyed. But, that's also an indication of being outside of that Washington elite, outside of the media elite, also. And just getting to talk to Americans without the filters and let them know what we stand for.”
On her response to Katie Couric’s question about what she reads:
“My response to her, I guess it was kind of filtered. But, I was sort of taken aback, like, the suggestion was, you're way up there in a far away place in Alaska. You know, that there are publications in the rest of the world that are read by many. And I was taken aback by that because I don't know, the suggestion that this was a little bit of perhaps we're not in tune with the rest of the world.”
On last night’s debate:
“Well, first it was a lot of fun. It was a great opportunity to get to speak directly to Americans. That's how I looked at it when I walked into there saying, you know, we're not going to be filtered.”
“There's not going to be the cutting and pasting and editing of any of our comments. Right on. Let me just talk to Americans.”
“There just wasn't enough time either, 90 minutes in a debate sounds like that's going to be a heck of a lot of time to get a lot of words in and countering each other's records. And there wasn't enough time to go through everything that I wanted to go through.”
On how she interacted with Joe Biden during the debate:
“There was a lot of eye contact and it was pleasant. It was, hey, you know, we're both in this together. We both understand what each other would be going through at this time. Kind of wondering, what's coming next, what's Gwen going to ask us next? So, that connection, it was some good chemistry. And again, at least I had a ball. It was fun.”
On the McCain leaving Michigan due to low poll numbers:
“Well, that's not a surprise because the polls are showing we're not doing as well there, evidently, as we would like to.”
“I fired a quick e-mail and said, oh, come on. Do we have to call it there? Todd and I would be happy to get to Michigan and walk through those plants where car manufacturers.”
“We'd be so happy to get to speak with the people there in Michigan, who are hurting because the economy is hurting. Whatever we can do and whatever Todd and I can do in realizing what their challenges in that state are, as we can relate to them and connect with them and promise them that we won't let them down in the administration. I want to get
back to Michigan and I want to try.”
On Senator McCain’s pep talk before the debate:
“I had thanked him in that phone call for giving me a pep talk before I went out there. And he had some simple advice and it was, just go out there and be yourself and have fun.”
On what she would revise from last night:
“Oh, I mispronounced General McKiernan, called him McClellan and I apologize for that.”
On her relationship with the media:
“I'll tell you, what I used to do is commit to not being so annoyed and impatient with mainstream media. And I will make that commitment because I do understand that that is how I speak to the American people in a position like this. I speak to you and through you and that way, that message is received by American people.”
“So, I apologize for the response that I gave through that interview on a couple of questions. I'm going to try harder. But, I would ask also then, that the media tries a little bit harder also. And that this is a two-way street. That there's fairness. Just objectivity and fairness and truth. That's all Americans ask for.”
“I look forward to speaking to the media more and more everyday and providing whatever access the media would want. My life is certainly an open book.”
On the idea that she was reigned in by the McCain campaign:
“Well, I beg to differ with the notion that I was reined in any way. But, if there was any of that, it's over. And we got to be out there.”
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Diana Rocco 212-301-3272
CARL CAMERON, FOX CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Governor Palin, thanks so much for joining us.
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you.
CAMERON: Congratulations. You're not formally -- you've pulled off your first vice presidential debate. What do you think happened?
PALIN: 10:59:23 it was a lot of fun, it was a great opportunity to speak directly to the americans, that's how I looked at it when I walked in there saying you know "we're not gonna to be filtered, there's not gonna be the cuttin, pasting and editing of any of our comments. Right on, 10:59:37 let me just talk to Americans.
CAMERON:10:59:39 How soon after the debate did you speak to Senator McCain? Did he give you the "atta girl?" 10:59:41
PALIN: 10:59:41 He sure did. Yes, immediately afterwards. And 10:59:44 I had thanked him in that phone call for giving me a pep talk before I went out there. And 10:59:50 he had some simple advice and it was, just go out there and be yourself and have fun 10:59:53.
CAMERON: So, 10:59:54 when folks were watching it through their TV screen, when they sometimes see the split screen, they see the reactiosn of the candidates etc, what were you thinking during the course of all of this? 11:00:03 Did you think that you surprised Joe Biden? Did you catch him off guard? 11:00:07 Was there eye contact between you and he that he didn't see?
PALIN: 11:00:10 There was a lot of eye contact & it was pleasant and it was hey you know we're both in this together. we both understand what each other would be going through at this time, 11:00:19 kinda wondering what's coming next, what Gwen is gonna ask us next. 11:00:23 So that connection, it was some good chemistry, and again at least I had a ball. It was fun
CAMERON: 11:00:29 Democrats put out 18 news releases last night and said that you committed 18 lies. The "L" word is pretty common this time around. 11:00:36 Anything you want to revise from last night? anything you said was you think in retrospect you want to rephrase or change 11:00:42
PALIN 11:00:42 Oh I mispronounced General McKiernan's name called him Mcclellan . 11:00:47 I apologize for that. other than that nope 11:00:49
CAMERON: 11:00:50 There was a lot of criticism that you misstated when you talked about us being at pre-surge levels in Iraq. Walk us through your math and what you were thinking you were talking about 11:01:00.
PALIN: 11:01:03 As victory is getting closer and closer, we know that we're going to be able to draw down those troops, send them to Afghanistan 11:01:08 not specific those Stryker Brigade or those troops. But 11:01:12 we'll have more resources to put be able to put in afghanistan and start what i believe and what I believe our commanders have referred to also as the principles of the surge there also in Afghanistan 11:01:24 and a counterinsurge strategy that should work. 11:01:29 Not specificly the cookie cutter approach that had been used in Iraq, cuz conditions have been so different, 11;01:34 of course in Afghanistan. 11:01:36 But the principles, we're gonna be able to do that with more resources and literally more troops
CAMERON: 11:01:42 Folks said, wow, that was like Sarah barracuda out there last night. Because it was back and forth and you were taking on Joe Biden. 11:01:47 Do you think you surprised him by the way in which you were prepared to sort of go after his record and Obama's?
11:01:53 What was the body language and the psychology between the two of you on that? Because he was sighing a lot. And some folks thought that you kind of exasperated him.
PALIN: Well, again, 11:02:01 at least my sort of view was, it was pleasant. And it was a lot of fun.
11:02:06 But, there just wasn't enough time either, 90 minutes in a debate sounds like that's going to be a heck of a lot of time to get a lot of words in and countering each other's records. 11:02:15 And there wasn't enough time to go through everything that I wanted to go through.
11:02:19 Because 35 years in the Senate, he has a record. He's got that voting record. I think it really shows Americans that a very, very left-leaning liberal ticket -- 11:02:30 he is the third most liberal senator, as National Review will report. And Obama, as the most liberal senator. 11:02:37 That that ticket, a lot of the reflection of the voting record shows us why that they are considered the most liberal ticket, probably ever. 11:02:46 There just wasn't enough time to go through the voting records that prove that. And you know, I wished that I'd have more opportunity to do that 11:02:53.
CAMERON: 11:02:53 One of the things you talked about last night was the flexibility of the vice presidency has
PALIN: Yes.
CAMERON: What do you mean by that? 11:02:59
PALIN: 11:03:00 That thankfully, our founders were wise enough to say, we have this position and it's Constitutional. 11:03:06 Vice presidents will be able to be not only the position flexible, but it's going to be sort of those other duties as assigned by the president. 11:03:15 It's a simple thing. I don't think that was a gaffe at all in stating what the truth is 11:03:19. And that is we've got flexibility in the position. 11:03:22 The president will be directing in a lot of respect what the vice president does. 11:03:28 The vice president, of course, is not a member -- or a part of the legislative branch, except to oversee the Senate. 11:03:34 That alone provides a tremendous amount of flexibility and authority if that vice president so chose to use it 11:03:40.
CAMERON: One of the criticisms of Vice President Cheney is that he has expanded the power and influence of the office and that during the Bush/Cheney presidency, the power of the executive has been a standard beyond perhaps that which is good for a country that wants to make sure that we don't have an imperial presidency 11:03:53. Would you change any of that, do you have any differences with the Bush/Cheney administration in terms of the power of the executive?
PALIN: 11:04:00 Well, again, as I tried to explain last night, 11:04:03 our executive branch will know what our job is. We have the three very distinct branches of government. You know, 11:04:09 we wont be bleeding our authority over to the Legislative or Judicial branch, 11:04:14 we'll do our jobs in the Executive branch as administers.
CAMERON: OK. A couple questions about past interviews 11:04:20.
PALIN: Yes.
CAMERON: 11:04:21 This morning -- last night, when you were in the Spin Room and people came flowing in there. And one of the questions that a lot of folks said was, OK, 11:04:29 where was the Governor Palin and Katie Couric interview that just debated and arguably defeated Joe Biden in a vice presidential debate? 11:04:37 There's been some criticisms as I know you know. 11:04:39 What happened? Go ahead, exlplain to us.
PALIN: 11:04:41 Ok I'll tell you honestly the Sarah Palin in those interviews is a little bit annoyed because it's like man no matter what you say you're going to get clobbered. 11:04:49 If you choose to answer a question you are going to get clobbered on the answer. 11:04:53 If you choose to try and pivot and go on to another subject that you believe that Americans want to hear about you get clobbered for that too. 11:05:00 But in those Katie Couric interviews I did feel that there were a lot of things that she was missing in terms of an opportunity to ask what a vp candidate stands for. 11:05:09 what the values are represented in our ticket. I wanted to talk abt barack obama increasing taxes which would lead to killing jobs. 11:05:18 I wanted to talk about his proprosal to increase govt spending by another trillion dolars. Some of his comments that he has made about the war that I think may in my world disqualifies someone from consideration as the next commander in chief. 11:05:32 Some of his comments about afghanistan and what we are doing there supposedly-- just air raiding villages and killing civilians. That's reckless. 11:05:41 I wanted to talk abt things like that. So I guess i have to apologize abt being a little annoyed but that is also an indication of being outside that washington elite, outside of the media elite also and just wanted to talk to americans without the filter and let them know what we stand for. 11:05:55"
CAMERON: OK. 11:05:56 So, at the risk of annoying you, when you are asked, what do you read? Which papers and magazines? You didn't answer it. Or, you said, I have all kinds of resources. 11:06:05
PALIN: Right, right, right.
CAMERON: Well, what do you read?
PALIN: 11:06:08 I read the same things that other people across the country read, including the "New York Times" and the "Wall Street Journal" and the "Economist" and some of these publications that we've recently even been interviewed through up there in Alaska 11:06:20. Because, of everything that we're doing with oil and gas, a lot of the investment publications especially are interviewing us, asking us how are being so successful up there in contributing to our nation's step towards energy independence 11:06:33.
CAMERON: Sure.
PALIN: So, 11:06:34 my response to her. I guess it was kind of flippant. But, 11:06:36 I was sort of taken aback, like, the suggestion was, you're way up there in a far away place in Alaska. Do You know that there are publications in the rest of the world that are read by many. 11:06:47 And I was taken aback by that because I don't know, the suggestion just was a little bit of perhaps we're not in tune with the rest of the world.
CAMERON: Well, 11:06:56 the idea's not to be dodging the questions. But, you've heard the question already from Katie, about Supreme Court decisions that you disagree with.
PALIN: Oh, yes.
CAMERON: 11:07:04 as a conservative, there are some in the Republican Party who would expect a vice presidential nominee to understand judicial conservatives and to have something that they might object to.
PALIN: 11:07:13 "And that's fair right and on that one true I shouldn't have been so flippant and just sort of brushed aside that bc it was an important question and I should have answered it and yeah 11:07:21 I can cite a lot of cases that I abolutely disagree with the supreme court on."
Q: 11:07:24 Is there one particularly? Or a couple, or something that --
PALIN: A couple.
CAMERON: -- exemplifies or illustrates what your sort of judicial philosophy would be? 11:07:30
PALIN 11:07:30 A recent one kennedy vs lousiana where the supreme court will tell a state that they can't impose the death penalty even on the heinous crimes of repeat child rapists that a state its rights were taken away by the supreme court 11:07:46 and we would not be able to decide for ourselves whether the death penalty in a case like that could be implemented or not. 11:07:51 That one I'm certainly not a suppoter of that decision. 11:07:56 The kelo case also with the eminent domain--that affects me as Govenor. 11:08:58 It affected me as a mayor also. 11:09:00 Property rights are so precious in this nation and for the supreme court to have sided with government instead of the people, the property owners on that --that was frustrating. another one that personally affecting me also 11:08:16 the exxon valdez oil spill. 11:08:17 The siding with the oil companies they decimated Alaska's coastline and much of our fisheries and much of our coastal communities' livelihoods of ppl who live there and they sided with Exxon on the punishment--the punitive damage that was to be awarded, Exxon won on that one and in a sense that was frustrating. 11:08:36
CAMERON: Governor, 11:08:36 people hear that answer and they're going to be mystified. They're going to say, wait a minute. That's the Sarah Palin that we saw when he first joined the ticket. That when you hit the campaign trail, that invigorated Republican. 11:08:46 I mean, is this going to boil down to one of those situations where it's Palin versus the press? 11:08:52 And it depends on who asks the questions?
PALIN: 11:08:54 Oh that would be the worst strategy ever that I could think of and I have a journalism degree so I know how you guys work also. 11:08:59 I'll tell you what, what I need to do is commit to not be so annoyed and impatient with mainstream media. And I will make that commitment 11:09:07 because I do understand that that is how I speak to the American people. In a position like this I speak to you & thru you and that way that message is recieved by American people. So 11:9:18 I apologize for the the, I guess, flippant response that I gave through that interview on a couple of questions. 11:09:25 But I would ask also then that the media tries a little bit harder also. 11:09:31 And that this is a two-way street that there is fairness, just objectivity and fairness and truth. That's all Americans ask for.
CAMERON: Objectivity? fairness?
PALIN: 11:09:45 As we send our young men & women overseas in a war zone to fight for democracy and freedoms including freedom of the press. 11:09:50 We really got to have a mutually beneficial relationship here with those fighting the freedom of the press and then the press though not taking advantage and exploiting a situation perhaps they would want to capture and abuse the privilege. 11:10:05 we just want truth, we want fairness, we want balance.
CAMERON: 11:10:09 There has been some of your supporters who've suggested that it's time to free Sarah. That you have been muggled, that your access to the media has been curtailed 11:10:18 ( And to put it bluntly, that some of the McCain campaign's staff from the Bush administration has essentially corralled you and sequestered you away. 11:10: 28 Go ahead. Have at it.
PALIN: 11:10:31 I look forward to speaking to the media more and more everyday and providing whatever access the media would want. My life is certainly an open book. 11:10:38 But, for me to be able to speak directly to the American people through the press, I'm there. I want to do it. I'm going to do it.
CAMERON: 11:10:43 How much prep work did you put into this debate?
PALIN: 11:10:46 We had a couple of great days in Sedona, Arizona, where we set up our podiums outdoors so I could breathe the fresh air of the west. 11:10:55 And it was an amazing experience to get to really be in touch with my surroundings as we were trying to get in touch with some of the very huge challenges facing our world today. 11:11:08 It was a great combination and it was really good strategy that we took in that debate prep. Just a couple of days of it. But, it was really good.
CAMERON: So, 11:11:15 how would you explain the balance between absorbing all of the information that you though absorbed, not getting sort of too crammed, robotic, like cramming for a final exam and spitting it all out. 11:11:26 And yet, not appearing to say, well, I've got the central learning curve but -- I mean, you've got obviously an immense a lot of homework to do. And that's not meant as a criticism. Because you're the governor of Alaska and that's just one of the 50 states.
PALIN: Sure.
CAMERON: 11:11:40 Those of us have been covering this, we're constantly trying to keep on on the vast amount of information. So, walk that balance between catching up and not appearing to have been too far behind?
PALIN: Well, 11:11:51 this isnt about just a candidate's ability to memorize and to be fed a tremendous amount of information. 11:12:02 Some of it's trivial when you consider what a vice president's job actually is.
So, 11:12:07 that balance in my mind has been struck where I understand the big picture. I understand what the challenges are. 11:12:51 I know what our biggest threat is in America. I know how important it is to win the war. 11:12:20 And I know how important it is to get our economy back on track 11:12:22.
And 11:12:23 I know how important it is to provide Americans two good choices. 11:12:28 A ticket that's going to bolster our economy by creating jobs, decrease taxes, raising government spending and make our nation energy independent. Or, 11:12:37 the opposite. Kill jobs by increasing taxes. Propose more government spending, more largess from bureaucracy and say no to energy independence. It's that important that we give the choices. And then, hey, it's in the voters' hands. 11:12:54 That's the best that we can do in striking that balance.
CAMERON: Anybody who's spent any time with you can tell that you really enjoy this. You like answering the questions in repartee and --
PALIN: I do.
CAMERON: -- and the banter that comes with it. 11:13:01 So, have you bridled against the inability to communicate with the press and do this sort of thing? and spar a little bit?
PALIN: Well, 11:13:09 I beg to differ with the notion that I was reigned in any way. But, if there was any of that, it's over. 11:13:17 And we got to be out there. We get to be speaking with Americans. 11:13:20 What I would like to do. 11:13:21 I wish I had four, eight hours in every day so that I could be on ropelines and I could be speaking individually with Americans. I know it doesn't work that way 11:13:29.
So again, 11:13:31 we go through you and we talk to voters through you. And I'm accessible. And now that the debate is over, and also -- you know yes, 11:13:40 I kind of feel like, all right. 11:13:41The wings are flying here. Let's soar, let's get out there and speak to voters and let them know what their choices are. And I'm excited about this opportunity in this last month13:50.
CAMERON: 11:13:51 Thanks very much, Governor. I'm going get the hook. I have one quick political question for you that if I don't ask you, I would be remiss
11:13:55 Yesterday, just before the debate it was announced that the campaign was going to withdraw some of it's exercises in Michigan, essentially leave Michigan for Obama to win. What's going on there? 11:14:02
11:14:03 Well that's not a surprise because it it--11:14:06 the polls are showing we are not doing as well there evidently as we would like to. 11:14:12 I read that this morning and I fired off a quick e mail and said, 11:14:16 'Oh come on , you know, do we have to? Do we have to call it there?' 11:14:19 Todd and I, wed be happy to get to Michigan and walk through those plants of the car manufacturers. We'd be so happy to get to speak to the people in Michigan who are hurting because the economy is hurtin'. 11:14:30 Whatever we can do and whatever Todd and I can do in in realizing that their challenges in that state are as we can relate to them and connect to them and promise that we won't let them down in the administration. 11:14:42 I want to get back to Michigan and I want to try."
CAMERON: Thank you very much, Governor.
PALIN: Thank you.